Working with King County Metro, SDOT is making improvements along Aurora Avenue North to keep people and goods moving. Currently carrying over 40,000 cars and 7,200 daily weekday bus riders, Aurora is expected to experience a 35% increase in traffic over the next 15 years. SDOT will continue to look at ways to improve traffic flow, safety, and transit speed and reliability throughout the corridor.

Reducing the Likelihood of Accident-caused Congestion

More than 1,500 accidents have taken place on Aurora from N 145th Street to the Battery Street Tunnel since 1999. In addition to the safety hazards posed, accidents in this key travel corridor often result in cut-through traffic onto parallel neighborhood streets. By making Aurora safer, many of these traffic tie-ups can be prevented.

Keeping Aurora an accessible, viable business district

By removing parking at the intersections experiencing the highest levels of congestion, the business district will have more reliable access for everyone and a safer environment to help bring more people to area businesses. Aurora could also be more of a "destination" for transit riders who know their trip will be smooth, dependable, and safe. Motorists and delivery trucks will also have clear and safe access to businesses.

Many businesses on Aurora have parking on-site and not many cars are parked on Aurora. To minimize any impacts, the City of Seattle will be working with businesses that rely heavily on on-street parking for their customers and will help identify parking strategies where appropriate.

Protecting the Neighborhoods around Aurora

Experience shows that when traffic flow is increased on a major arterial it helps the surrounding neighborhoods. Better traffic flow and less accident-caused congestion reduces the likelihood of neighborhood cut-through traffic. By restricting parking during the evening peak period and adding a third lane for buses and right-turning vehicles, traffic will flow better on Aurora.